Social Research: Methods For Designing Research Questions

Framing Relevant Questions

Question:

Discuss about the Diary and Experience Sampling Research.

Research and analysis forms a constructive part of any study or research design. The research questions are based upon the present problem situation and points towards comprehending the plausible solutions for redressal of the same. The research questions are based upon analysing the puzzle for presenting a clear picture of the present situation. The puzzle is then broken down into parts and the components are separately dealt with. The current study focuses on the different aspects of social research and the various contributing factors for conducting a research study. The assignment has been divided into a number of components such as data creation methods and the advantages or the limitations attached with such methods.

In order to design a research question there is a need to focus upon the basic definition of research. Here research could be defined as a systematic investigation or inquiry which contributes in developing the knowledge of a theory further. For the current assignment the research questions based upon a social issue in Melbourne had been taken into consideration. In this respect, the social research forms a small component under the vast umbrella of research. The research is conducted with a view to creating knowledge for the betterment of the social world. As commented by Fraley and Hudson (2014), the components of the social world are connected with each other in terms of procurement of services for the feasibility of mankind. Therefore, the disruption in one of the components can disturb some of the other elements too. Thus, formulating the research question is one of the pivotal components of research study and design. Therefore, a number of parameters need to be taken into consideration during formulating a research question.

A number of guidelines had been followed over here for designing of an effective research question such as framing relevant questions. The questions to be designed in terms of research and academic limits of the researcher should be manageable enough. The questions should be substantial and connected with original scenario. The questions should justify the objectives of the research thesis throughout and should be clear and concise. As mentioned by Rea and Parker (2014), a concise and clear content is easily relatable and are successful in generating sufficient interest in the readers regrading the research question. The questions had been designed with a view to offer sufficient scope for the explanation and detailed discussion of the learning outcomes of the course. However, for designing a research question which is socially and empirically researchable a number of detailed observations need to be made. Some of the data had been collected by talking to people, surveying or conducting experiments with people. However, as argued by Brinkmann (2014), often lack of sufficient support and participation from people can limit the scope of establishments of the research design. The research questions should highlight something perplexing and surprising. This helps in the exploration of new avenues or areas which had not been covered before.

Data Creation Methods

The collection of data forms a governing factor for evaluation and analysis of the research questions. The data could be further divided into two major components that are primary and secondary data. The primary data refers to newly collected information, which has been gathered by the researcher for answering of the research questions. The secondary data refers to already existent data present in the form of literature sources and peer reviewed journal or articles. For the present research, the researcher has collected primary data for evaluation of the research question. The primary data are again both quantitative and qualitative in nature and here both have been considered. The data have been collected by conducting interviews and surveys where a part of the Melbourne residents where asked questions pertaining to the advantages or disadvantages associated with inculcation of energy efficient building practices. As reported by some of the Melbourne residents the use of energy efficient components can increase the infrastructural cost of the buildings.

On the contrary, some had reported that the use of such energy efficient devices could help in reducing the electricity and power consumption of the buildings as a whole. Therefore, the implementation of such methods is both economical and also maintains the social responsibility of maintaining an energy sufficient environment (Palinkas et al. 2015). Therefore, the researcher was put in a situation of fix where opposite views were provided by the participants of the survey. Therefore, empirical data were collected where the percentage responses of the participants were used for arriving at a suitable solution.

The method of data creation forms a very important component of designing a research question. For the purpose of data collection a structured open ended interview questionnaire had been designed. The detailed responses provided by the participants regrading the benefits of limitations inculcation of energy efficient devices in constructing buildings in the Melbourne region of Australia. The collected responses were put into more concise and structured forms for further evaluation. A further quantitative method of data collection was used for generating statistical and empirical data. The questions asked over here were mostly close ended with limited options where the participants could only answer in a yes or no. Additionally, the questions with open ended answers were mostly objective in nature limiting the scope of further explanation by the participants.

In the present research method unstructured questions had been encouraged by the researcher. Here, the course of conversation further determined the set of questions to be asked throughout the interview. For the research study three data creation methods which had been followed over here which are conducting of interviews, designing of online focus groups and framing of an online questionnaire.  As commented by Goodman et al (2013), the designing of the focus groups would help in generating concise data.

Primary and Secondary Data

For the present assignment three different methods of data collection have been used such as designing a focus group, constructing an online questionnaire and conducting an interview. The methods have been compiled to arrive at a summative result which could be further expanded by the researcher. There are a number of strengths and limitations of each data creation methods which could be further analysed for selecting the best alternative. The selection of the focus group helps in conducting the research in lesser amount of time. However, as argued by Flick (2014), most of the times comparatively lesser number of participants appears for the interview than actually approached. This could hinder data collection process and further evaluation of the research questions.

On the contrary, conducting an interview could help in the expression of interest by the participants. This also helps in gathering suitable objectives from the participants which could be built upon further. However, for the current study the process of conducting a survey for data collection had been most helpful. This is because the responses could be presented in percentages which help in eradicating any further biases. As argued by Ormston  et al.(2014), a number of ethical considerations had to be taken into consideration over here which includes taking proper consent from the participants. Thus, forced participation or where limited information had been provided to the participants about the data collection process could be an unethical practise method.

In this respect, further secondary data could be used by the researcher for referral and verification of his study design. However, there are limitations with respect to languages and keywords. Some of the journals are available in languages other than English which could limit the scope of research (Muraki et al 2017). Similarly, a reference to the secondary sources could help in arriving at more acceptable results.

Conclusion

The current assignment focuses on the concept of designing of research questions for arriving at a suitable conclusion. The study here highlights a research question where the use of energy efficient techniques for improving building standards in Melbourne had been discussed. Here, a number of parameters have been focussed upon by the researcher for designing the research questions. The emphasis had been given on designing more relatable questions which would address the social issue and the present problem situation faced in Melbourne. The major contributing factors over here are the data forms or the data collection methods which further governs the success of the research study. For the current research, primary data only had been taken into consideration where both quantitative and qualitative research design has been opted. The mixed methods along with the empirical and the statistical data help in arriving at as suitable solution. However, a number of limitations are faced in the data collection method which includes the consent to be taken from the participants for conducting the interviews. Moreover, the participants should be notified about the interview process much in advance. The designing of the right focus groups serves as a limiting factor over here.

References

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Brinkmann, S., (2014). Interview. In Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology (pp. 1008-1010). Springer New York.

Flick, U., (2014). An introduction to qualitative research. London:Sage.

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Goodman, J.K., Cryder, C.E. and Cheema, A., (2013). Data collection in a flat world: The strengths and weaknesses of Mechanical Turk samples. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 26(3), pp.213-224.

Muraki, M. and Hirata, Y., Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, (2017). Drawing apparatus, lithography system, pattern data creation method, drawing method, and method of manufacturing articles. U.S. Patent 9,583,311.

Ormston, R., Spencer, L., Barnard, M. and Snape, D., (2014). The foundations of qualitative research. Qualitative research practice: A guide for social science students and researchers, 2.

Ott, R.L. and Longnecker, M.T., (2015). An introduction to statistical methods and data analysis. Nelson Education.

Palinkas, L.A., Horwitz, S.M., Green, C.A., Wisdom, J.P., Duan, N. and Hoagwood, K., (2015). Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(5), pp.533-544.

Rea, L.M. and Parker, R.A., (2014). Designing and conducting survey research: A comprehensive guide. New Jersey:John Wiley & Sons.